SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – During their Tuesday night meeting, the South Lake Tahoe City Council made quick business of the agenda, wrapping things up by 8 p.m., something they haven’t done in quite some time.
One of the agenda items was a presentation on the City’s long-term rental
incentive grant pilot program, one of the housing items in their toolbox. In 2021, they appropriated $500,000 for a program that would pay homeowners to rent their homes to a local family for a minimum of one year. They hired Lease to Locals to administer the program, but decided to bring a similar program in-house to be administered by the housing office in 2026.
The intent of the LTR Incentive Program and ongoing efforts is to unlock existing housing for local workers.
Since the program started in late 2021, the program has unlocked 65 households and housed 155 residents. Since the City took over the program, six more households with 11 residents have been placed in homes, with one more in the works.
The Council voted to continue the program and to allocate an additional
$80,000 for the program. To date, $690,000 has been spent, $500,000 from ARPA funding, $100,000 from the sale of commodities, and $90,000 from the general fund. By bringing the program in-house, the City has saved $60,000 to date.
With the addition of a 6-month lease option, homeowners receive an incentive grant of $4,500 per qualified tenant for a 12-month lease and $2,000 per qualified tenant for a 6-month lease.
Only three councilmembers were present at the meeting, with Roberts and Horgan absent.
In other action, a sponsorship of the Tahoe Bluefins Swim Club was passed unanimously. The non-profit club will be able to use the new recreation center pool at a discount, something they’d done previously, but it was never memorialized in an agreement.
They passed a resolution authorizing the use of the General Fund to sponsor facility rental fees and staff labor for the Tahoe Bluefins Swim Club, totaling $8,343 for a six-month agreement. The club will pay $10,407.96 which includes the cost of one lifeguard and pool rental fees.
Council also voted unanimously to update its parking agreement with Heavenly Mountain Resort.
Heavenly will continue to ensure that travel lanes to accommodate two-way traffic are maintained in the area whenever they are used for resort parking. During periods of severe weather, the Police Department closes Ski Run Blvd and/or
Keller Road, Heavenly will not be penalized for an inability to perform these duties promptly due to road closure. Heavenly understands that when conditions cause the roadways to be closed, it can impact its operations.
Also in the amendment due to resident concerns. Heavenly will maintain the perpendicular parking spaces on the east side of Ski Run Boulevard between Needle Peak Road and Regina Road and maintain visible markings and make best efforts to prohibit parking within 15 feet of a fire hydrant.